WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today released a report titled “Advancing Public Safety through Community Policing: The First 25 Years of the COPS Office.”

When the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was enacted, it introduced an innovative office specifically designed to advance community policing and reduce crime in state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) communities. The COPS Office thus became the first component of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dedicated solely to serving the needs of SLTT law enforcement to reduce crime and maintain public safety. In addition to its signature hiring programs (investing billions of dollars to support the hiring and redeployment of more than 134,000 officers to date), the COPS Office has also made its mark by providing training, technical assistance, and numerous other resources to help support law enforcement agencies across the country.

Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies, stakeholders, and practitioners. As the only DOJ component with “policing” in its name, the COPS Office has placed an emphasis on listening sessions with the field, forums with subject matter experts, practical research, and developing community policing practices that build trust and mutual respect between law enforcement and their communities.

“It has been an honor for me over these almost three years to build on the previous successes of the COPS Office,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “With an emphasis on a ‘by the field, for the field’ approach, listening to our stakeholders has never been more important and has resulted in tremendous process improvements for our office, and by virtue of that, for law enforcement agencies nationwide. The significant accomplishments detailed in this report provide an excellent portrayal of the advances the COPS Office has contributed to the field. I could not be more proud of the work our law enforcement stakeholders and the COPS Office have accomplished together.”

Highlights in the report include a renewed emphasis on officer safety and wellness; the creation of the National Blue Alert Network; implementation of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act; establishment of the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC); leadership of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice; and much more.

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